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Tanker Seakay, one of 12 ordered by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey,
underway, date and location unknown. She was later acquired by the U.S. Navy as a Fleet Oiler, renamed
Santee, and subsequently converted to an aircraft carrier.

Robert Hurst

World War II

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Port side view.

USN

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Douglas SBD-3/5 Dauntless dive bombers of Composite Squadron (VC) 29 lined up
for launch from the escort carrier USS Santee (ACV-29) during operations in the Atlantic.
Armed with depth charges, the aircraft will fly antisubmarine patrol over the convoy ships visible
in the background. As Escort-Scouting Squadron (VGS) 29, the squadron also flew missions in support
of the North Africa invasion in November 1942.

U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation, photo No. 1996.253.703.

Robert Hurst

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A VGS-29 Grumman TBF-1 Avenger being brought to the flight deck on USS Santee's
(ACV-29) forward elevator during August 1942, location unknown.

Photo and text from "Carrier Air War in Original WWII Color," by Robert Lawson and Barrett
Tillman.

USS Santee (ACV-29) photographed on 24 September 1942, the day the first
plane landed on her flight deck (according to some sources, the photo was taken on 27 September).
She is wearing the subdued "dazzle" construction of the Measure 17 disruptive system. The pattern
was identical on both sides of her hull (US National Archives photo #80-G-11826).

A photo of USS Santee (ACV-29) probably taken on October 16, 1942. Santee
was the only one in her class ever camouflaged in Ms.17, a disruptive system with the same geometric
patterns on both sides of the ship. In fact, Ms.17 was only applied to three ships: heavy cruiser
USS Augusta (CA-31), fleet
oiler USS Chicopee (AO-34),
and Santee.

Don Schroeder, USS SangamonLarger copy submitted by Robert Hurst

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Another view of USS Santee probably taken in late 1942.

Robert M. Cieri

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USS Santee (ACV-29) at anchor, 16 October 1942. Note the location of the
ship's main machinery smoke stacks on the side of the flight deck aft. Santee is painted
in Camouflage Measure 17.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (# NH 43508).

USS Santee (CVE-29). Photo believed to have been taken at Casablanca,
13 November 1943.

Gerd Matthes, Germany

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General Motors FM-2 Wildcat fighter on combat air patrol over USS Santee
(CVE-29), during the Leyte Invasion, 20 October 1944.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-287594).

Scott Dyben

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At 0740, 25 October 1944, during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, a Japanese plane made
a suicide dive on the Santee, crashing through the flight deck and stopping on the hangar
deck. Santee was the first ship to sustain a kamikaze attack: the plane tore
a 30-foot gash into the flight deck, killed 16 men, wounded 27 others and started several fires. At
0756, a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-56 struck the ship, causing flooding of several
compartments and a 6-degree starboard list. Emergency repairs were completed by 0935.

Charles Erlandsen

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USS Santee (CVE-29) is hit by a Japanese kamikaze, at 0740 on 25
October 1944. Bright orange flames fed by burning avgas billow above Santee's flight
deck as fragments of the Zeke, probably piloted by PO1c Kato splash to either side. Santee
survived, but had to return to the U.S. for permanent repairs to battle damage and general overhaul.
The escort carrier was back in the Philippines in March 1945.

Robert Hurst

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Fires rage after the ship was hit by a Kamikaze at 0740 hours on 25 October 1944,
during the 2nd Battle of the Philippine Sea (aka the Battle of Leyte Gulf.) Official US Navy photograph.

USS Guest (DD-472)
comes alongside USS Santee (CVE-29) in April 1945. Both ships were off Okinawa and about
to exchange mail. NARA photo (80-G 335565).

Rob Rielly

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Air Groups attached to USS Santee.

Source: "History of USS Santee," by ENS Jaquelin S. Holliday, USNR.

Submitted by ABCS Walter E. Skeldon

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Escort-Scouting Squadron (VGS) 26 was established on 5 May 1942. Equipped with SBD Dauntlesses
and TBF Avengers, VGS-26 operated from USS Sangamon (ACV/CVE-26)
between October 1942 and September 1943, with a short stint operating from Guadalcanal (March–April).
It was redesignated Composite Squadron (VC) 26 on 1 March 1943, and again redesignated Torpedo Squadron
(VT) 26 on 15 November 1943. VT-26 embarked aboard USS Santee (CVE-29) in February 1944
and, now equipped solely with TBF or TBM Avengers, operated from the escort carrier until the
end of the war. The squadron was disestablished on 13 November 1945.

Disney patch.

Tommy Trampp

The Crew

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Recife, Brazil, February 1943.

Robert Boggess, son of R.C. Boggess

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Image of most of the USS Santee's E Division personnel. This picture was
taken during the summer of 1944 somewhere in the South Pacific. There were approximately 30 EM's aboard
at the time, but some who were standing watch are not included in the pic. The Division Officer in
the center was Walter T. Poole.

"Tito" Puente, Sr. (1923–2000), born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr. "He
went to boot camp in June of 1942 and joined [Santee] in August 1942 for the shake down
prior to the Morocco Invasion and remained on the ship throughout the war."

"'Tito' was one of the ship's buglers and also a co-leader of the ships band."

"'Tito' was an acclaimed Latin music percussionist/arranger orchestra leader who formed his first
big band following the war. He grew to becoming an icon in the field of Latin jazz with eight Grammy's
to his credits, including television specials, movies, compositions and numerous awards."

NS0302935b: USS Santee band ("Tito" kneeling). The officer
with a saxo appears to be the famed "Sonny" Burke (Joseph Francis Burke), arranger and composer of
Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and a host of luminaries; if you can identify him, please let
us know.